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Author: Jenn Manes

New Webcam Alert!

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday! I know how much you all love webcams as much as I do, so you’re going to love this!

A brand new webcam popped up over the weekend at Tropical Panorama, a five-bedroom villa located in Cruz Bay. The webcam is situated above the mouth of the bay and has northernly views out toward Lovango Cay. Check it out:

Great view, right?!

You can see this webcam and over 20 more on our webcam page at www.islandtidbits.com/webcams.

Go off the beaten path. See beautiful beaches. Explore centuries-old historical sites. And more…

Mind = Blown (Thanks to all of you!)

Oppenheimer Gibney beach St John US Virgin Islands

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I just wanted to write a quick post to thank you all for reading Island Tidbits! I have to admit, my mind has been absolutely blown by the response. When I first started this way back when (ok, it was only 12 days ago lol), I wasn’t sure how it would be received or if anyone would actually take the time to read it. Well you know what? You did! And I am so thankful!

Now that my nerves have subsided (you like me, you really like me!), I am super excited to be on this journey again. I absolutely LOVE sharing stories and videos from the island. I definitely have a lot of ideas up my sleeve ( including some super random stuff like that one time a family of bats decided to take up residence in my wall or when a bird from Puerto Rico decided to move into Palm Tree Charters‘ porch), but I’m interested in your feedback too. So if there is anything specific you’d like to know more about or if there’s something you’d like me to feature, please either leave your suggestion in the Comments section here on the site, or email me at jenn@explorestj.com.

Now let’s get to some housekeeping…

  1. If you are interested in taking an island tour, please check out Explore STJ. I offer both full and half day tours. Together we can go off the beaten path, see beautiful sights, check out amazing beaches, explore historical sites, perhaps grab a cocktail or two (you , not me, of course!) and more. Please visit www.ExploreSTJ.com to learn more, or send me an email at jenn@explorestj.com.
  2. In case you missed it, you can find nearly two dozen webcams all in one spot at www.islandtidbits.com/webcams. Bookmark the page, and check out your favorite island spot 24/7!
  3. And if you’re looking for videos, you will find every video we post in one spot too! You can see them at www.islandtidbits.com/videos.
  4. And last, but certainly not least, Island Tidbits has its first advertiser! Woohoo! I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to Elaine Estern, owner of Coconut Coast Studios, for supporting this website. Elaine has great stuff, including amazing artwork and a brand new calendar, so please be certain to check out her website at www.coconutcoaststudios.com. We will definitely have more on Elaine later this week!

Again, thank you all so much for reading! Have a wonderful day!

On the Road: Hawksnest to Maho Bay

Visit your favorite north shore spots including Trunk Bay with my latest GoPro video.

For those of you who know me, you know how much I love securing my GoPro to the Jeep and taking fun island videos for all of you. Well I did just that earlier this summer, and I’m excited to share it today. I labeled some of my favorite spots during the video too, so you can use this as a handy little guide to check out your favorite places along the north shore.

This video clocks in at just under 16 minutes, which is long, I know. Below the video is a quick reference list of some of your favorite places and the time they pop up in the video. You can save some time by checking it out that way if you prefer. Or you can grab yourself another coffee (or heck, make yourself a cocktail!), pop on your favorite island tunes, and enjoy 16 minutes of paradise. 🙂 Have fun!

You can find this video and all of my videos at www.islandtidbits.com/videos

  • Hawksnest parking area: :05
  • Gibney Cottages property: 1:31
  • Oppenheimer: 1:48
  • View across Hawksnest Bay: 2:13
  • Easter Rock: 2:23
  • Peace Hill parking area: 2:47
  • Jumbie: 3:21
  • Trunk Bay overlook: 4:28
  • Trunk Bay parking area: 5:38
  • Trunk Bay switchbacks: 6:11
  • Peter Bay: 6:53
  • Upper Peter Bay: 7:04
  • Road to Catherineberg: 8:26
  • Cinnamon Bay entrance: 9:39
  • Cinnamon Bay sugar factory: 10:42
  • Maho Bay overlook: 12:50
  • Maho Crossroads: 14:34
  • Reef2Peak: 14:52
  • Maho Bay (turtle side): 15:49
Go of the beaten path, visit beautiful beaches, explore St. John’s rich history & so much more.

 

The Cannon at the Ferry Dock

Hello friends! So as I mentioned last week, the purpose of Island Tidbits is to share stories about items on island I find to be very cool and/or interesting. So today we’re going to start by chatting about a cannon, which is located beside the ferry dock in Cruz Bay.

The bulk of people who visit St. John, or return to the island, do so via the Cruz Bay ferry dock. And as we do so, we pass an important element of our island’s history – a cannon that was previously located at Fortsberg in Coral Bay. The ruins of Fortsberg, an 18th century citadel fortress, are located on a hill above the eastern side of Coral Bay harbor. Fortsberg was the site of a successful slave rebellion in 1733.

This particular cannon was relocated from Fortsberg to Cruz Bay when the ferry dock was being built in 1838. At that time, it was placed with its muzzle facing downward and into the ground, a common practice during peacetime. The cannon was used as a hitching post for donkeys or horses. (The fort at Fortsberg was decommissioned in 1765.)

The cannon at the Cruz Bay ferry dock was originally placed muzzle down. Image source: Library of Congress

When the dock was remodeled in the 1990s, the cannon was placed pointing out to sea, which is culturally and historically inaccurate. The good news is that the ferry dock is set to be renovated once again, and local historians and residents are asking that the cannon be restored to its original position.

The cannon’s current position

In 2013, three additional cannons were uncovered on the beach in Cruz Bay. It is believed that they, too, were originally located at Fortsberg. The three cannons were removed at the time, and moved to a “secure place” according to a 2013 St. John Source article.

Three cannons were found on Cruz Bay beach in 2013. Image source: St. John Source

Pretty interesting stuff, right?

That’s all I have for you today. Thank you so much for reading! I’ll be back later this week. 🙂

Go of the beaten path, visit beautiful beaches, explore St. John’s rich history & so much more..